The electric car maker has announced that Robyn Denholm, who has been an independent director at the business since 2014, will step up to become chairman with immediate effect.

Ms Denholm is currently chief financial officer and head of strategy at Australian telecoms group Tesltra. She will give up these positions after serving a six-month notice period to take up a full-time chairman position at Tesla.

Announcing the appointment, Tesla said in a statement that to “ensure a smooth transition…...